OIT News

Webmail Interface Help

After a recent upgrade to the campus e-mail system the Office of Information Technology has
received several complaints from users who were having difficulty navigating the new look and feel of the webmail interface. An overview of the new layout and links to further information can be found at http://indstate.edu/oit/universal/outlookupdate2015.php

Lenovo Superfish Update February 23, 2015:

You may have heard that Lenovo consumer brand laptops were shipped with an app called “Superfish” which is considered a security risk by the industry. Lenovo consumer brand computers shipped between September 2014 and January 2015 contained the Superfish app, but it has been confirmed by our Lenovo representative it did not affect any business class products purchased by ISU. OIT reimages all computers shipped to Indiana State University including scholarship laptops which would remove any programs or apps installed by Lenovo. For additional information about the adware Superfish, please visit http://news.lenovo.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=1929.

In September, Microsoft unveiled the ‘technical preview’ version of Windows 10. The ‘technical preview’ was made available for download and testing so IT groups could make sure the new version of Windows is compatible with other software. At Indiana State University, the OIT department has a Desktop Operating System Testing (DOST) team, consisting of 13 technical people, who have tested this early preview version of the software. The team has tested approximately 100 software packages using the ‘technical preview’ version on Windows machines (laptops - touchscreen and not – and desktops) and Mac’s. We tested on some tablets, such as Yoga and Surface Pro 3. So far, no problems have been discovered.

Many people are wondering why Microsoft ‘skipped’ Windows 9. It could be they wanted to distance themselves from Windows 8 and 8.1 by going to double digit numbers, but the truth is, we don’t know. By creating media interest, with many publications and websites speculating why Windows 9 was skipped, Microsoft gets lots of extra attention.

The next version of the ‘technical preview’ is rumored to be available for testing around January 21, 2015. Microsoft has scheduled a special event, titled ‘The Next Chapter’, on that date. The DOST team will download this version and test, just as we did the first version. OIT must ensure that installation of new versions of operating systems do not negatively impact the ISU user community.
One of the most anticipated features of Windows 10 is the return of the Start menu, which was missing from Windows 8 and 8.1 (OIT will continue to support Windows 7 and 8.1 until the campus is ready to move to Windows 10). The Start menu will have the more traditional display, like Windows 7, plus the tiles that came with Windows 8. The user will be able to customize their view of the Start menu. Another big plus is the operating system is usable on a wide range of devices, from PCs to tablets to smart phones.

Once the Release to Manufacturer (RTM) version of Windows 10 is available (current estimate is the middle of 2015), the DOST team will expand to include some campus professionals, both Faculty and Staff. So, even when the RTM version is available, more testing will be needed to confirm that Students, Faculty and Staff can function without issue in the new Windows 10 environment.
If you have downloaded the ‘technical preview’ version of Windows 10, and have feedback you would like to share, please contact OIT at ISU-OITFeedback@mail.indstate.edu. We would like to know your opinions and concerns.

Acrobat Pro Now Available for All University Computers

Currently university owned equipment has Adobe Reader preinstalled which allows the viewing of pdf documents but not the creation or editing of this file type. While some units may have older versions of Acrobat Professional or alternative products such as CutePDF which provide similar abilities an all-in-one solution is now available. Thanks to a new license agreement, our university community has access to the most recent version of the PDF creation software from the company that invented the format.

For those of you who wish to use make use of this software but may not have experience working with the product there are training videos available through Sycamore E-Learning in the ISU Portal.
Adobe Acrobat Professional is now available for installation on ISU owned (and property tagged)
Faculty and Staff
computers.

Click on the install button for Adobe Acrobat XI Pro at the bottom of the page

Follow the prompts

New OIT Support Phone Number

Effective Monday November 17th the OIT Support Number (x2910) will present callers with a selection of options to access all major customer-facing IT support services, rather than connecting only to our general support center.
This change will allow our customers calling this number for support to be routed to the services they need directly
(such as Blackboard or classroom support), rather than having to go through an intermediary. We believe this will allow customers to reach support resources more quickly in many cases. If you already reach those services by calling them directly, you will experience no impact. If you would like to provide feedback, please contact Lisa Spence at x9604.